Stone Brewing's New 4-Packs

Stone
Brewing Co. is preparing to release new 4-packs of Ruination IPA, Oaked
Arrogant Bastard Ale, and for the first time in 12 oz. bottles—Sublimely Self Righteous Ale (Imperial Black IPA).
The new 4-packs are expected to reach distributors by end of August. Existing
six-packs of Ruination and Oaked AB will be discontinued after supplies run
out.

Retail
pricing for the 4-pack should be around $11, similar to six-pack
pricing for Stone IPA and Stone Pale Ale. The pricing model of aligning
specialty 4-packs to “regular” six-packs is also used by Widmer Brothers for its Series 924 brews.

On
a related tangent… If you do the math, the
price per ounce for beer is almost always lower in 12 oz. bottles than for 22 oz.
bombers. So why would a brewery release a new size that results in a
lower price? I expect the answer is increased revenue through expanded distribution
and increased volume. I think many folks (including me) prefer to drink beer
in 12 oz. bottles (or cans) instead of 22 oz. bombers. Ninkasi and Hopworks Urban Brewery have adopted
similar playbooks.

Cheers to Stone! I pay less per ounce and get my preferred bottle size. As a consumer of
good beer, I love this development!